Wellness Fair '98, presented by the Pacific Union College Nursing Department, will be at Vintage High School in Napa on March 6. The program is geared towards educating students on the importance of health issues. Seven major booths, scattered throughout the Vintage High gymnasium, offer information on various topics such as self defense, sexually transmitted diseases, and first aid. All physical education and health classes come to the gym, where they are given cards that are to be stamped at each booth. After a certain number, students are allowed to turn in their cards for a door prize drawing. Over 800 students usually end up attending. "Students love the Wellness Fair," says Allison Saether, who is the school nurse at Vintage High. "They have a background knowledge of health issues through their required health classes, but the fair gives them an opportunity to be actively involved in the learning process." The community outreach seminar is part of the service learning component for a class in PUC's Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program called Health Education Promotion and Self Care. The fair was actually initiated four years ago by a group of students who were required to come up with...

Is there a secret to great teaching? L. Monique Pittman, assistant professor of English, pauses only for a second before answering. "Well, it has to be my absolute conviction that what I am doing matters and has great importance." On May 21, Pittman became the youngest professor to receive the Educator of the Year Award here at PUC. Seated in a "throne" of sorts, Pittman was honored by students and fellow faculty members in what was supposed to be a roast, but turned out to be a touching tribute. She was lauded for many things, from her impeccable fashion sense to her one page, single-spaced responses to her students' papers. "I'm very sensitive, so I'm glad it wasn't a roast," smiles Monique. "The whole morning turned out to be overwhelming emotionally, because people usually don't say such nice things in such a short amount of time." Surprisingly, Pittman didn't really intend to become a teacher. Early childhood photos show her dressed in medical garb, giving her mother a shot with a plastic syringe. She seriously considered going into marketing, so that she could do promotions for the arts. Entering into her freshman year at Andrews, she registered as undecided. It...

Pacific Union College, entering its 117th academic year, began the fall quarter with Week of Prayer, celebrating "One Light, Many Reflections." The theme, signifying the many way in which we all reflect God, was a collaborative effort that came about after several meetings with all the scheduled speakers. It is an appropriate title for more reasons than one. The majority of the speakers were professors, and each came from a different area of study or campus department, offering varying perspectives on one fundamental truth. Another interesting element involving perspective surrounded the fall week of prayer is the series featured all women speakers. In the past PUC has used a series format when planning the week of prayer. Last fall the religion department headed the week of prayer and the previous year welcomed a group of successful business people. Each group provides a unique perspective on what is familiar ground to all. "We've had different series like this in the past, and they have always worked well," says Mike Dunn, chaplain. "This year we realized that we had never heard from our faculty and staff women, so we thought it would be a great way of continuing the series." None can...

The typical college student is up by eight o'clock in the morning, in class by nine, works a few hours, studies, and even manages to squeeze in some hefty socializing before falling into bed sometime near midnight. If only Colleen Daniels could have had it so easy. Two years ago she went back to school, and her life went from full to overflowing. A single mother, Colleen was working 40-plus hours and raising two children. Between work and driving her kids to cheerleading practices, karate, and boy scouts, her life was hectic enough without adding the stress of midterms and papers. Returning to school was an inconceivable option. That is, until three years ago. After 25 years of working in a dental office, Colleen thought she might be ready for a change. After looking into several possibilities she discovered that few businesses were willing to hire someone without a bachelor's degree. "I realized that as long as I didn't finish college, where I was in my career was as far as I could go," says Colleen. "I wanted more from my life." Determined to finish college, Colleen enrolled in a degree completion program that offered Thursday evening classes. It was...

Two years ago Verlyn Benson, associate professor of Technology at Pacific Union College, hunted for graduate schools, searching for a university that would not only offer a strong technology program but also a graduation ceremony on a day other than the Sabbath. "I did not participate in my Master's ceremony because it took place on the Sabbath," says Benson. "So it was one of the things I looked for." To his surprise, the University of Northern Iowa bulletin listed a Friday graduation during the summer. Days after he enrolled, the school's decision to cancel summer commencement exercises was announced. The remaining two ceremonies would proceed on Saturdays. When it came time to select a graduate studies committee, Benson carefully surveyed the possibilities before choosing Dr. Ervin Dennis as the committee chair and his advisor. But Benson let it be known that there was a special clause that accompanied his request. "I knew it was an honor for the advisor to confer the degree during graduation," says Benson. "But I told him that would not be possible with me, since I am a Seventh-day Adventist." Although disappointed, Dr. Dennis replied that it would not stop him from chairing the committee. Over...

During the annual Career Day colloquy at Pacific Union College, Alan Nakanishi, Assemblyperson for California’s Tenth Assembly District, reminded students that the key to success is to trust in God’s leading. “You and I serve a powerful God. If he can take a poor boy from the ghettos of Sacramento to PUC to Loma Linda to the halls of the state capital, then he can do more for you,” said Nakanishi, who was the special guest speaker at the event. Nakanishi shared his own career journey, which started at PUC nearly fifty years ago. He had just graduated from high school and was contemplating whether he should attend the local university in Sacramento or PUC. “My family couldn’t afford for me to be at PUC. But I had a conviction that God wanted me to be at a Christian college,” he said. So at 17 years old, Nakanishi enrolled at PUC with just enough money to last one quarter and the determination to be a doctor. Nakanishi managed to stay the entire year. To earn money for college, he cleaned classrooms, bussed tables, sold books door to door, and worked as a lab instructor. Each fall, he wondered if he...

D. Malcolm Maxwell, president emeritus of Pacific Union College, passed away on Monday, October 1, 2007, at his home in Scottsdale, Arizona. He was 73 years old.Maxwell was the first PUC alumnus to serve as president, and he had the longest tenure-18 years-of any president. He retired from the presidency in 2001 but continued to work at PUC as a professor in the religion department until 2006. In April of 2007, Maxwell and Eileen, his wife of nearly 52 years, were in the process of moving to Scottsdale to be near family when Eileen passed away. Maxwell, son of famed Seventh-day Adventist author Arthur C. Maxwell, graduated from PUC in 1956 with degrees in theology and biblical languages. He completed his master of arts in systematic theology at Andrews University and earned his doctorate in biblical studies, specializing in New Testament, at Drew University. At Drew, Maxwell was honored as a Rockefeller Fellow and Drew University Scholar. Maxwell taught religion at Union and Walla Walla Colleges. After 13 years in the classroom, he stepped into administration, serving as academic dean and vice president for academic administration at Walla Walla College. In 1983, he accepted the call to serve as president...

For the fourteenth consecutive year, U.S. News & World Report named Pacific Union College as among the best educational institutions in the country. PUC ranked 14 in the top tier for Comprehensive Colleges–Bachelor’s, western region, in the 2008 “America’s Best Colleges” issue. The category is for institutions that focus on undergraduate education and offer a range of degree programs. High scores are based on peer assessment, graduation and retention rates, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources, and alumni giving. Aspects of PUC that contribute to its high score include its proportion of classes with fewer than 20 students, a high percent of faculty who are full time, alumni giving, and solid freshman retention rates. "“It is always a pleasure when others recognize PUC’s academic excellence,” said Nancy Lecourt, vice president for academic administration and academic dean. “We cannot help but be pleased that the quality Christian liberal arts education we offer here will be more widely known, and more students and parents will become aware of the great value PUC really represents. The steadiness of our standings—fourteen years without a break—is also a statement about our commitment to teaching and learning.”...

In August, PUC began working with Bon Appetit Management Company for the campus’s food service needs. Bon Appetit is an onsite custom restaurant company that provides caf and catering services to corporations, colleges and universities and specialty venues.At PUC, Bon Appetit serves a vegetarian menu with foods prepared from scratch, using local produce as often as possible, and providing ingredient lists and real dishware.“The daily service of great food to PUC students is of utmost importance. In our search for the right management of our food service, we looked for a company with a mission that we could share. Bon Appetit’s commitment to sustainable food service along with their quality food is what convinced us to work with them,” said Lisa Bissell Paulson, vice president of student services.Bon Appetit currently serves over 17 colleges and universities, and also provides food services for the deYoung Museum in San Francisco and The Getty Center and Villa in Southern California. Bon Appetit is known for their culinary expertise and commitment to socially responsible food sourcing and business practices, and strong partnerships with respected conservation organizations.The decision to work with Bon Appetit follows the departure of Gloria Roberts, food service director at PUC. Gloria...

In July, 25 young students spent a week on the campus of Pacific Union College, solving crime, debating issues related to global trade, and creating artistic masterpieces. This renaissance of activities was part of the PacificQuest program, an annual event inviting young students, grades 7-10, to participate in college-level courses. This year, the program’s core class was on genetics. Bryan Ness, professor of biology, taught students how forensic scientists use genetics and biology to analyze crime scene evidence. Ness even fabricated a “whodunit” scene and asked students to employ their newfound knowledge of genetics to solve the crime. Students also took a second course, choosing the areas of global business or digital art. In the global business, taught by business professor Dan Madrid, students learned about trade between nations, national corporations and how the world of business changes society. In the art course, taught by graphic design professor Cliff Rusch, students received hands-on training in the digital arts. The nights were no exception to learning and creativity, featuring various interactive activities. On Monday night students learned about the Ethiopian culture from Adu Worku and took part in games and food. On Tuesday evening, students tested their knowledge in the “College...